Windows XP Updates
 

I've had my laptop for over two years now and it is running so slowly that it boggles the mind. I shall be shortly purchasing a few RW DVDs and backing up all my files then formatting for the first time.

I have a friend who never installs them and doesn't even have Service Pack 2 who says he has never had a problem. He also claims that installing SP2 generally makes the OS slower operating.

So my question is, should I bother downloading any of the Windows XP updates on to my clean installation?

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

i dont know how your friend does that, but from experience i did an install without sp2 recently.

2 days later i had something like 700 viruses and god only knows how much spyware in my system.

I wouldnt recommend it if you dont have an alternative protection system to sp2.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

If it turns out the lock on your front door can actually be opened by a pencil, would you refrain from getting a new one installed because you don't want to have a new key that's heavier than the original one?

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

your friend is an idiot.

installing sp2 over an old operating system partition which has been running for ages and has tons of programs installed did have issues with breaking some of them as i recall, but having them all installed from a clean install should result in no problems whatsoever.
Theres no reason to not install sp2 unless you actively want to allow your computer to get infected with god knows what, so yes. Install the windows updates.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

Not in the least if you don't at least have Sp1a installed, else you'll typically be infected with the blaster virus in not more than 5 seconds of having a net connection.

Anyway, there are no such problems with SP2, your friend is talking out his arse.

The other thing is, if this is your first format and re-install i'm not surprised your computer is running slow. Though windows has come a long way since the early days, you still typically end up with a lot of junk files left behind on your OS that effect its performance drastically, rebuilding your pc is the only easy way to combat this.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

I dont see him mentioning that he or his friend use their installation of WinXP to access the internet so i think some of your comments are a bit "harsh". If you use WinXP to browse the internet, you pretty much "need" SP2 nowadays.

Gaming performance comparison

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

SP2 i've not seen a problem on any of my upgrades.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

It's a bit like asking was it worth getting Win98SE over the original version given it'll set you back a fiver. Security standards for MS software are already low, do yourself a favour and get the updates they do offer.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

Could it possibly be that your friend who is not using SP2 has a copy of Windows that isn't entirely legal, and therefore can't install SP2 without it stopping working?

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

Only very few of my machines are connected to the internet and none of my laptops, still i manage to post here. It still wouldnt say anything about his friend.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

No matter if you have sp2 or not, 700 virusses and loads of spyware says a lot abou tyour surfing behaviour ^^

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

on the contrary, all it takes is a single virus to make it through - which then downloads more automatically.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

This copy of XP Pro isn't "entirely legal", SP2 still works fine (ironically, my totally legal copy of XP Home has just decided to stop me using my computer several times).

It's not in Microsoft's interest to stop security updates going to computers, no matter the validity of the install; at best it's a good probability of bad publicity, at worst it will expose some other security flaw in normal Windows.

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

not all CD-Keys work with SP2, I know that the one which used to work for all MS-Products doesnt let you install SP2

Re: Windows XP Updates
 

SP2 is alot better than vanilla, but don't install the "genuine software"-something update. Its suppose to be checking if your windows is a correct version or a pirated one, but it doesnt work properly. By that I mean that it slows your computer down alot. So don't install it, even if you have a legitimate copy.